Indian Spices

Indian cuisine and Indian Spices

India is a diverse country and this versatility is reflected in Indian cuisine, Indian spices and spice blends. India has countless regional dishes. All finely seasoned with a variety of spices. Cardamom, fenugreek, turmeric, coriander and cumin are quite typical of the Indian cuisine. Never alone, always finely seasoned in a rich combination.

Curry is just an Indian dish that is prepared differently, as well as the curry powder, each region has its own curry recipe.

Curry powder is an invention at the time when England was the colonial power of India. This powder was made especially for the occupiers, who then brought to England. Today there are countless curry powders, one tastier than the other.

The Indian cuisine is so versatile and aromatic because of the many different people from different cultures that it houses. All the recipes bear the signature of the people living there and are on everyone's lips today. The Indian cuisine is highly aromatic, seasoned with tasty spices, sometimes hot and sweet. It is so diversified that it is fun and never boring to eat Indian food

Regional Indian Cuisine

The Indian cuisine can be divided into four major regions. North Indian, South Indian, West Indian and East Indian.

The North Indian cuisine is very well known and popular with us. Here are many dishes made with yogurt or ghee. Due to the geographic location, the oriental taste is also characteristic of North Indian dishes. It is mild rather than spicy and many dishes use nuts or spices such as cumin and saffron.

The South Indian cuisine uses lots of vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood in your meals. But the main food is rice. It is spicy with many red or green chilies. Pepper, curry leaves, grated coconut, garlic and ginger are also used extensively.

The West Indian cuisine is very diverse. They have many vegetarian dishes, but also many fish dishes and pork dishes. The West Indian cuisine is very spicy.

Rice is the staple food in East Indian and South Indian cuisine. This region is known for many desserts. It is cooked a lot with nuts and fish. Typical spices are fennel seeds, nigella (black cumin) and cumin.

TOP 10 Indian Spices

Curcuma also called turmeric is the main ingredient of Indian cuisine. 80% of the world's harvest is consumed in India and India is the main producer of the spice. It is an ingredient in garam massala and curry powder among others. Turmeric has a slightly bitter taste and is like the ginger root (rhizome).

Cloves are the dried flower buds of the carnation tree. They have a bitter, fruity, pungent taste and leave a numb feeling in the mouth. Included in Garam Masala and Curry.

Fennel seeds, they have a mild spicy sweet aroma similar to the anise and are part of the spice mixture Panch Phoron. By roasting you can intensify the aroma of fennel seeds.

Fenugreek are the seeds of a small annual plant. They have a bitter taste, but after roasting in a pan, they taste like caramel and nuts.

Cumin has a sharp, slightly bitter taste but smells spicy sweet. Used in Indian rice dishes, baked goods, soups and curry.

Cardamom are small, oval, green capsules with a sweet, spicy, sharp aroma.

Ginger is the root of the ginger family. The ground powder has a sharp taste with a lemon flavor. It is used in curry, chutneys and meat dishes.

Cinnamon is the oldest spice on earth. It is the bark of the cinnamon tree and has a sweet spicy taste. It is used in curry, chai tea or rice dishes.

Chili green or red, Indian cuisine uses mild and spicy chili in soups, rice dishes, curries and meat dishes